


laugh when it sinks in

by SafelyCapricious



Series: things you find in a graveyard [25]
Category: Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2019-10-26
Packaged: 2021-01-03 12:40:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21179573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SafelyCapricious/pseuds/SafelyCapricious
Summary: “Oh, what did I do to have such a disobedient daughter?” her mother wails and collapses dramatically, but carefully Elizabeth notices, so that nothing damages her dress.“Mama,” Elizabeth tries, and then gives up as Mrs. Bennet wails again. She finishes pulling on her gloves and, as her mother still hasn’t come to her senses, she admits defeat and leaves.





	laugh when it sinks in

**Author's Note:**

> Title generated by the [Hozier random fanfic title generator](http://www.generatorland.com/usergenerator.aspx?id=22501), i love those people.
> 
> Still sick, getting better, definitely wanted this to be longer but I want to go to bed more. Enjoy Fictober, day 25!

“Oh, what did I do to have such a disobedient daughter?” her mother wails and collapses dramatically, but carefully Elizabeth notices, so that nothing damages her dress. 

“Mama,” Elizabeth tries, and then gives up as Mrs. Bennet wails again. She finishes pulling on her gloves and, as her mother still hasn’t come to her senses, she admits defeat and leaves. 

Her sister is sick and she’s not willing to wait longer to go to her, especially not the longer it would take to cover the soulmark on the back of her neck. She’s heard her mother’s bemoaning of the unluckiness of the location of her mark often enough. It’s not considered fashionable to have a visible soulmark, and the location on the back of her neck makes it hard to cover with the current fashions. 

Of course, if her mother was willing to buy dresses that were out of fashion than she could keep it covered but — Elizabeth could have certainly done more to convince her mother, if she cared about covering the mark. But despite knowing it’s unlikely she’ll be able to meet who matches her mark, let alone marry them, she’s not quite willing to give up on it.

She’s read what she can on soulmarks, and it seems unlikely she’ll be lucky enough to have one in her social class. But for now her concern is her sister. 

She arrives at Netherfield Park still fairly early in the morning, and she finds the residents at their breakfast. Mr Bingley is kind enough to take her to her sister when she arrives, and she hears a clatter of silverware when she turns her back. She can already imagine the veiled insults she’ll get for being so unclothe as to show her soulmark to a non family member. But then she arrives at her sister’s side, and that’s all she cares about for a time. 

***

“Your parents were soulmates, weren’t they Mr. Darcy?” Miss Bingley asks as she lays cards down that night. 

Elizabeth glances up and hides a smile at Mr. Darcy’s grimace. “Quite,” he says, briefly, and turns back to his book. 

“Are you planning to keep to the quaint tradition for your sister?” she asks, aiming a smile at the gentleman. 

Mr. Darcy doesn’t seem like he’s going to answer, for a long moment, and Elizabeth can’t help but glance between the game table and him sitting, waiting to see who will break first. “Not necessarily,” he says, then he turns a page, “but I intend to follow it for myself.” 

“Oh?” Elizabeth finds herself unable not to participate. “I thought following soulmarks was not quite the fashionable thing in your circles.” 

“It’s not,” he says, staring at her so intently she has to look back down to her own book, “but it’s a family tradition, and I think that’s more important.”She nods and turns a page. “What about you, Miss Elizabeth?” 

She turns another page without reading a word. “I think that I would like to,” she says, thoughtfully, not quite willing to bend the truth here. “But I suppose I’ll have to meet him first,” she says, looking up with a small smile, only to find Mr. Darcy is still staring at her. She holds his gaze for a moment this time, before Miss Bingley speaks again and takes his attention away, at which point she keeps her eyes fixed on her book. 

***

Elizabeth finds herself facing Mr. Darcy across the dance floor, unsure quite how this came out. 

“Your mark,” he says, after a long uncomfortable pause and her own prompting him to speak, “is it a powder you use to cover it, at these events?” 

“I’m not sure that’s appropriate conversation,” she says, and then after another turn and pause, “but yes. I use a powder for these events, at the urging of my mother.” 

“Ah,” he says, “I would’ve thought your mother would encourage —“ he stops himself and she tries to withhold a not very lady like snort. 

“My mother thinks me unlikely to find my soulmate, and that I shouldn’t set my sights on such an outcome,” she says, carefully. 

“But you would like to — to find your soulmate?” his voice is softer than usual, and she nods without quite meaning to. 

The remainder of the dance is spent silently, and she’s not sure what to do with any of it. 

***

“Does your sister have a soulmark?” Mr. Darcy asks her, quite unexpectedly, as she walks Rosings Park. Before she can ask for clarification, or perhaps just express her surprise at his presence. “Your oldest sister, Miss Elizabeth.”

“Yes,” she says, still not quite sure what to say. 

“Does it look rather like a bird, with a flower?” he asks next, and holds out the sketch showing such, and she can’t help but nod. “This is Mr. Bingley’s mark,” he says, next, and she drops the flowers she’s been holding out of surprise. 

**Author's Note:**

> Ya'll can talk to me [on tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/capriciouswrites). I will answer at some point when I am not dying. 
> 
> This is my one true original OTP, and writing them makes me nervous as heck. Which is maybe why I failed to finish this in a definitive fashion. But stay with me, I think that if Darcy knew Elizabeth was his soulmate from the start he'd probably start off a little differently. Soulmates man, they change things. 
> 
> I would love to talk to people about it though! <3 <3


End file.
